Event Info

Click here for a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Hopscotch Music Festival.

For one weekend last September, The Independent Weekly's  Hopscotch Music Festival engrossed downtown Raleigh, creating a new relationship between the city and music fans. This year, the festival picks up where it left off, bringing more than 135 bands to 12 venues, including Friday and Saturday night in City Plaza, Raleigh's most captivating civic space. Intended to highlight the Triangle's rich music scene by pairing local talent with notable national and international artists, Hopscotch offers choices to fans in just about every genre imaginable—rock, hip-hop, alt-country, metal, dance, punk, classical, noise, drone, folk, and more. It is a festival that thrives on the variety and quality of its lineup, and this year, with over 40% of the musicians hailing from Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and other nearby locales, it's a testament to both this region's musical diversity and its national relevance.  

Featuring 135 bands at night, day parties, the Edward McKay Used Books & More Artist-and-Author series, charity activities, a poster exhibition, and more, the second annual Hopscotch takes place September 8-10, 2011. We invite you to experience it with us.   

"My favorite part was the energy of a crowd out to see some music," wrote Whitney Baker of Paste about last year's debut. "Nothing was going to stop them from seeing music. They were going to see all the music. That sheer determination converted me: I slipped into the crowd and immediately abandoned all pretense of maintaining an academic disinterest in the bands I'd only heard of peripherally. It swept away my staunch decision to maintain no bias when seeing a band I kind of love right now."

Hopscotch Music Festival is proudly owned by The Independent Weekly. Its founder and director is Greg Lowenhagen. Its co-director is Grayson Currin.